--- title: Thankful...for Hope description: Jessica Ptomey recounts the story of her gentle reminder that while this world may hold plenty of pain--more for some than others--hope offers us the promise of eternal joy on the other side. --- [![catholic-mom-logo-v2](https://www.catholicmom.com/hubfs/_catholicmom/images/catholic-mom-logo-v2.svg "catholic-mom-logo-v2")](https://www.catholicmom.com/) [![facebook](https://www.catholicmom.com/hubfs/_catholicmom/icons/social-icon-facebook.svg)](http://www.facebook.com/CatholicMomCommunity) [![twitter](https://www.catholicmom.com/hubfs/_catholicmom/icons/social-icon-twitter.svg)](http://twitter.com/CatholicMomCom) [![instagram](https://www.catholicmom.com/hubfs/_catholicmom/icons/social-icon-instagram.svg)](http://instagram.com/catholicmomcommunity) [![youtube](https://www.catholicmom.com/hubfs/_catholicmom/icons/social-icon-youtube.svg)](https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCAuUqHCVPDzyMgSMaMZxxug?view_as=subscriber) [![search-icon](https://www.catholicmom.com/hubfs/_catholicmom/icons/search-icon.svg)](https://www.catholicmom.com/articles/2016/11/25/thankful-for-hope#) # Thankful...for Hope Nov 25, 2016 1:30:41 PM  |  by [Jessica Ptomey](https://www.catholicmom.com/articles/author/jessica-ptomey) [!["Thankful...for Hope" by Jessica Ptomey (CatholicMom.com)](https://www.catholicmom.com/hs-fs/hubfs/Imported_Blog_Media/Thankful-for-Hope.jpg?width=800&height=304&name=Thankful-for-Hope.jpg)](https://www.catholicmom.com/hubfs/Imported_Blog_Media/Thankful-for-Hope.jpg) Copyright Jessica Ptomey. All rights reserved. I recently had **one of *those* days**. I was struggling with parenting bad behaving toddlers, dealing with some stressful and emotionally challenging issues, and then to top it all off, my 16-month-old pulled a hot cup of tea off the counter and onto his chest. I raced to pull his clothes off, soak his burned skin in cold water, and call the pediatrician. While driving him to the doctor, I prayed that the burns wouldn't be too bad and he wouldn't be in too much pain. Through some tears, I informed God that my emotional tank was officially on "empty" at that moment. As it turned out, there were just some second-degree burns that should heal fine. The doctor applied a soothing salve and wrapped a dressing around his shoulders and chest. Within the hour I was buckling (gently) the brave little cookie-in-hand patient back into his car seat. The drive home was a mix of emotions. I was relieved that this incident wasn't too bad. My son's skin would heal. *But it happened in a split second*. He was fine now, but there very well may be other times when he is not fine...or one of my other kids is not fine...or my husband...or my mom's Alzheimer's will take that inevitable turn for the worse. I could feel a little bit of spiraling despair mix with my physical exhaustion. It's guaranteed -- tragedy ***will*** strike at some point. And though this wasn't a tragedy, this was one of those scary moments that hint at the pain of probable life experiences to come. At that moment, while I was pondering this sobering realization with a tear-stained face, I heard clapping. My sweet little boy was clapping and cooing in the backseat. The baby that just had his skin burned off his chest was *happy*! He was on the other side of his sorrow. And that joyful sound was the God-send that I needed at that moment. That was my sign of **hope**. It was my gentle reminder that while this world may hold plenty of pain--more for some than others--hope offers us the promise of *eternal joy* on the other side. [Tweet "Hope offers us the promise of eternal joy on the other side of sorrow. By @JessicaPtomey"] For the Christian, hope is always on the other side of sorrow. When the Christian walks through sorrow, we need not despair;  despair is the absence of hope. Jesus said, "I have told you this so that you might have peace in me. In the world you will have trouble, but take courage, I have conquered the world” (John 16:33). Despair might be right at our door, threatening to drown out our hope, ready to suffocate any grateful breath we have left. But we don't have to believe that lie; we don't have to let it in; Christ has conquered the despair of the world, and "since we have such hope," in St. Paul's words, we ***can*** "act very boldly" (2 Cor. 3:12). We can boldly respond with ***gratitude*** for the hope that we have within us. In the words of St. John Paul II: > “Do not abandon yourselves to despair. We are the Easter people and hallelujah is our song.” *Copyright 2016 Jessica Ptomey* --- ***This post is one of several in a November blog post series titled "Thankful..." on [jessicaptomey.com](http://jessicaptomey.com). Visit the website to read the rest of Jessica's posts in the series this month. *** ### Share this article [![Share on Facebook](https://static.hubspot.com/final/img/common/icons/social/facebook-24x24.png)](http://www.facebook.com/share.php?u=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.catholicmom.com%2Farticles%2F2016%2F11%2F25%2Fthankful-for-hope%3Futm_medium%3Dsocial%26utm_source%3Dfacebook) [![Share on Twitter](https://static.hubspot.com/final/img/common/icons/social/twitter-24x24.png)](https://twitter.com/intent/tweet?original_referer=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.catholicmom.com%2Farticles%2F2016%2F11%2F25%2Fthankful-for-hope%3Futm_medium%3Dsocial%26utm_source%3Dtwitter&url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.catholicmom.com%2Farticles%2F2016%2F11%2F25%2Fthankful-for-hope%3Futm_medium%3Dsocial%26utm_source%3Dtwitter&source=tweetbutton&text=Thankful...for%20Hope) [![Share on Email](https://static.hubspot.com/final/img/common/icons/social/email-24x24.png)](mailto:?subject=Check%20out%20https%3A%2F%2Fwww.catholicmom.com%2Farticles%2F2016%2F11%2F25%2Fthankful-for-hope%3Futm_medium%3Dsocial%26utm_source%3Demail%20&body=Check%20out%20https%3A%2F%2Fwww.catholicmom.com%2Farticles%2F2016%2F11%2F25%2Fthankful-for-hope%3Futm_medium%3Dsocial%26utm_source%3Demail) ** #### About the Author ![Jessica Ptomey](https://www.catholicmom.com/hubfs/Jessica%20Ptomey%20Jan%202022.jpg) ### [Jessica Ptomey](https://www.catholicmom.com/articles/author/jessica-ptomey) Jessica Ptomey is a Catholic convert, author, speaker, Communications scholar, home educator, and Director of Religious Education at Sacred Heart Church in Bowie, MD. She blogs at [JessicaPtomey.com](http://www.jessicaptomey.com). She is the author of [Home in the Church: Living an Embodied Catholic Faith](https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/1642797081?pf_rd_p=ab873d20-a0ca-439b-ac45-cd78f07a84d8&pf_rd_r=MJSXMAAC1CWKFJREGT3J), and her research in inter-faith dialogue has been published in the Journal of Communication and Religion (JCR). She is also the co-host with her husband Mike of [The Catholic Reading Challenge podcast](https://anchor.fm/catholicreadingchallenge). ## Related Blog Articles [ Check Your Burdens Read ](https://www.catholicmom.com/articles/check-your-burdens) [ Give God the Whole Read ](https://www.catholicmom.com/articles/give-god-the-whole) [ "Family Time" for Every Domestic Church Read ](https://www.catholicmom.com/articles/2017/03/23/family-time-every-domestic-church) ## Comments ## Donate now [![Support Catholic Mom](https://no-cache.hubspot.com/cta/default/275132/10016573-1c5c-4aa5-baba-c2ac91fe7545.png)](https://cta-redirect.hubspot.com/cta/redirect/275132/10016573-1c5c-4aa5-baba-c2ac91fe7545) [![CatholicMom_hcfm_logo1_pos_871c_2728c (002)](https://www.catholicmom.com/hs-fs/hubfs/CatholicMom_hcfm_logo1_pos_871c_2728c%20(002).png?width=1806&height=731&name=CatholicMom_hcfm_logo1_pos_871c_2728c%20(002).png "CatholicMom_hcfm_logo1_pos_871c_2728c (002)")](https://www.catholicmom.com/) ##### Subscribe to Catholic Momcast on iTunes or Spotify [![itunes-logo-black](https://www.catholicmom.com/hubfs/_catholicmom/logos/itunes-logo-black.svg)](https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/catholic-momcast/id1362352357)[![spotify-logo-black](https://www.catholicmom.com/hubfs/_catholicmom/logos/spotify-logo-black.svg)](https://open.spotify.com/show/15CoipHL7z61IDcYErV0b8?si=hqaQJSxDQgq7S1hxCwsoxQ) ##### CatholicMom on Social Networks [![facebook](https://www.catholicmom.com/hubfs/_catholicmom/icons/social-icon-facebook.svg)](http://www.facebook.com/CatholicMomCommunity) [![twitter](https://www.catholicmom.com/hubfs/_catholicmom/icons/social-icon-twitter.svg)](http://twitter.com/CatholicMomCom) [![instagram](https://www.catholicmom.com/hubfs/_catholicmom/icons/social-icon-instagram.svg)](http://instagram.com/catholicmomcommunity) [![youtube](https://www.catholicmom.com/hubfs/_catholicmom/icons/social-icon-youtube.svg)](https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCAuUqHCVPDzyMgSMaMZxxug?view_as=subscriber) ##### About Catholic Mom [Who We Are](https://www.catholicmom.com/about-us) [Contact Us](https://www.catholicmom.com/contact) [Support CatholicMom.com](https://www.catholicmom.com/support-us)   ##### Associated Links [Holy Cross Family Ministries](https://www.hcfm.org/) [Family Rosary](https://www.familyrosary.org/) [Family Theater Productions](https://www.familytheater.org/) [Congregation of the Holy Cross](https://www.holycrossusa.org/) [Father Patrick Peyton, C.S.C.](https://www.fatherpeyton.org/) [The Peyton Institute for Domestic Church Life](https://www.peytonfamilyinstitute.org/) ### **Stay connected!** Don’t miss a thing! 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